Jalen Milroe addresses Jalen Hurts comparisons, relationship with Eagles QB

Whether it’s their identical first name, they’re both dual-threat quarterbacks originally from Texas, an eerily similar skillset or their coincidental roller-coaster careers at Alabama, Jalen Milroe has heard all the comparisons to Jalen Hurts.

And given Hurts’ wildly-successful NFL career that already includes two Super Bowl appearances in his first five seasons in the league, it’s a comparison Milroe is fully embracing, especially given their personal relationalship as mentor and mentee.

During a Wednesday afternoon hit on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Milroe opened up about his “authentic” relationship with Hurts and how the hopefull NFL quarterback is taking full advantage of it throughout his own experience going through the NFL Draft process.

“Authentic, No. 1, and it’s real. I think that’s what I love so much, that there’s someone that’s able to pour into you that had experience of playing quarterback at a very high level in college and then branching off and going to the NFL. He’s definitely inspiring,” Milroe said Wednesday on SportsCenter. “He’s from the state of Texas, you know. I always pull for him each and every Sunday that he plays.

“But he’s been a key resource for me being able to be around somebody, and talk to somebody, that’s been in the process and is somewhere where I’m aspiring to go. It’s definitely exciting now to take the knowledge that I’ve gained through my career and put it into this place moving forward.”

Milroe, who is No. 5 on ESPN icon Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest ranking of 2025 QBs, capped his Alabama career this last season after tallying 6,935 total yards and 71 total touchdowns over the past two years as the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback.

Still, despite his immense playmaking skill, Milroe has plenty of detractors after an up-and-down junior season in which he rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground but appeared to take a step back as a passer with 2,844 yards and 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2024.

Meanwhile, Hurts produced 7,602 yards of total offense and an identical 71 total touchdowns over his three-year Crimson Tide career between 2016-18, during which he was Alabama’s starting quarterback during his first two seasons before the infamous halftime benching in the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game and subsequently took a backseat to Tua Tagovailoa during his final season in Tuscaloosa before becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist as Oklahoma’s starter in 2019.

Hurts rewrote the national narrative about his collegiate career during that one-year stint in Norman, and parlayed that into a second-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Milroe is hoping to make a similar impression on NFL teams over the next few months ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft in late April.

But while Milroe’s draft stock might be somewhat controversial, his gameday style is not, something else he and Hurts have in common, prompting SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris to ask who had the better fashion sense between them. Milroe, for his part, didn’t take the bait.

“Ok, ok, between me and Hurts, huh?” Milroe laughed. “… Look, (Hurts) be putting it on, but I can put it on too now. Look, suits, classic clothing, casual, I can put that on, but we’re still competing. I think I’m up there with him.”